State issue guidelines for pneumonia vaccine

ANCHORAGE - State health officials have issued new guidelines for pneumonia vaccinations.

They now recommend vaccinating adults between age of 19 and 64 years who are cigarette smokers or who have asthma.

They recommend lowering the recommended age of vaccination for Alaska Native adults from 55 to 50 and raising the age before an otherwise healthy non-Native Alaskan adult would receive a routine pneumonia immunization from 55 to 65 to be consistent with national guidelines.

They also recommend providing one-time revaccination at least five years after any previous dose for those who were immunized before age 65.

State epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin says the recommendations are consistent with current national guidelines.